asia midterm - MODERNIZATION and INTERNATIONALISM

developed the term “origins of the modern world”

robert marks

the imperial palace was relocated from kyoto to tokyo in

1869

developed the term “origins of the modern world”

robert marks

the imperial palace was relocated from kyoto to tokyo in

1869

dates of the meiji period

1868 to 1912

dates of the meiji restoration

1868 to 1889

predominant historical narrative regarding meiji japan

“the plucky japanese” brave and naive

the charter oath of 1869

1. deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by open discussion.

2. all classes, high and low, shall be united in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state.

3. the common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall all be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there may be no discontent.

4. evil customs of the past shall be broken off and everything based upon the just laws of Nature.

5. knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule.

the four major meiji projects

1. “revere the emperor” - abolish the tokugawa order

2. “rich country, strong military” - build nation-state institutions

3. “civilization and enlightenment” - creating a national community/identity

4. “revise the unequal treaties” - remapping japan in the world

MODERNIZATION - photo of the meiji oligarchy

MODERNIZATION - photo of saigo takamori, who resisted the regional social tokugawa order and failed

modernizaiton 1. Why was Japan the only East Asian country to build a modern nation-state in the second half of the 19th century?

japan had to first negotiate the unequal treaties, rearrange their decentralized government, strengthen the military, and restructure the social order before they could

modernization 2. How did Japan "modernize"?

the meiji restoration and meiji constitution (1889) were huge parts of japanese modernization with much of the meiji tradition being completely new to japanese culture

modernization 3. How did constitutionalism and imperialism (the two pillars of political modernization) relate to each other in Meiji Japan? 

the major changes were the creation of a national constitution and the revision of the unequal treaties to establish japan as an international power

came up with “cultural internationalism”

akira iriye

internationalism 1. How might we understand internationalism as a historical development in relationship to nationalism?

nationalism and internationalism were dichotomous, polar, parallel, or consecutive development

internationalism 2. How did internationalism resonate in East Asia in the first decades of the 20th century?

• economic internationalism: license to modernize across national borders as well as making common cause with socialists and workers worldwide

• cultural internationalism: manifested by the proliferation of study-abroad, the translation of all importnat western poltiical thought and literature, shared new media, and the experience of either no or only reluctant admission to international organizations

• legal internationalism: first and foremost extraterritoriality and treaties in general that could be manipulated by asians to serve specific goals

internationalism 3. 1910/1911/1912 turning point; 1919 turning point

internationalism 4. How did Korea lose its sovereignty under international law?

the end of the russo-japanese war (the treaty of portsmouth, nh) gave japanese a protectorship over korea, meaning that korea essentially lost all of its individuality as a country

three types of internationalism

1. economic internationalism: world brought together by capital flows; about modernization beyond national borders and making common cause with socialist resistance worldwide

   • liberal capitalist: ensure growth of modern industrialism

   • socialist: workers unite across nations to end oppressive state systems

2. cultural internationalism: international organizations, typically with seats in Europe; about study abroad, translated foreign works, shared new media, and reluctant admission to international organizations

3. legal internationalism: laws regulating international relations and the conduct of war, among civilized nations; about extraterritoriality and treaties

taft-katsura agreement (july 1905)

us and japan trade philippines for korea

second anglo-japan alliance (august 1905)

britain and japan trade korea for india/burma

japan-korea / eulsa treaty (november 1905)

• deprived korea of its diplomatic sovereignty

• made korea a protectorate of japan

• signing was coerced by japan

second international conference on peace in the hague, 1907

confirmed 1899 resolution on the peaceful settlement of international disputes, customs of war, treatment of pows, and created a judicial arbitration court

1918/1919 conjuncture

1918 rice riots in japan

1919 paris peace conference

march 1, 1919 movement in seoul

may 4, 1919 movement in beijing

1918 rice riots across japan

caused by japanese economic boom, pressured politicians to negotiate better terms for japanese workers and farmers

pan-asianism

• conceived differently by individuals across asia in civilizational, political, national, and social terms

• ideologically conceived as anti-western by emphasizing a transnational asian racial unity

• nonetheless adopted a western conception of “race”

• led by asian liberation revolutionaries in exile in japan (tokyo/shanghaio as a hub of pan-asian intellectual activity)

• institutionalized in numerous pan-asian associations well beyond east asia, supported by some westerners

march 1 movement

declared korean independence from japanese protectorate

may 4 movement

attack of pro-japan politicians in china, attack on confucianism and the “old china”, women’s liberation, founding of the chinese communist party

INTERNATIONALISM

INTERNATIONALISM - french cartoon of japanese protectorate over korea